Immunomodulatory effect of Schizonepeta tenuifolia water extract on mouse Th1/Th2 cytokine production in-vivo and in-vitro.

Schizonepeta tenuifolia (ST) is a major herbal constituent included in treatments for the common cold with fever, ostitis media and other skin inflammations. The present study investigated the effect of ST water extract on the pattern of cytokine production from activated T cells in-vivo and in-vitro. When ST (200 mgkg(-1)) was given orally to mice for 7 days before i.

Molecular changes in remote tissues induced by electro-acupuncture stimulation at acupoint ST36.

To investigate the effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) treatment on regions remote from the application, we measured cellular, enzymatic, and transcriptional activities in various internal tissues of healthy rats. The EA was applied to the well-identified acupoint ST36 of the leg. After application, we measured the activity of natural killer cells in the spleen, gene expression in the hypothalamus, and the activities of antioxidative enzymes in the hypothalamus, liver and red blood cells.

Inhibition of cell cycle progression via p27Kip1 upregulation and apoptosis induction by an ethanol extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes in AGS gastric cancer cells.

Botanical preparations are widely used by patient with cancer in Korea, Japan and China. Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) has traditionally been used as a medicinal ingredient for the therapy of stomach and uterine cancer. In this study, we showed that exposure to an ethanol extract of RVS (50 microg/ml) resulted in a synergistic inhibitory effect on cell growth in AGS cells.

Positive relationship between melatonin receptor type 1B polymorphism and rheumatoid factor in rheumatoid arthritis patients in the Korean population.

Melatonin is reported to be an anti-inflammatory agent. No genetic study concerning the association between melatonin and inflammatory disease has yet been reported. Here we performed a polymorphism study on the melatonin receptor type 1B (MTNR1B) in Korean rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and controls.

Saussurea lappa induces G2-growth arrest and apoptosis in AGS gastric cancer cells.

The molecular effects of Saussurea lappa extracts, a traditional medicine in Eastern Asia, on the fate of gastric carcinoma have not been understood. In this study, its cytostatic effects were examined using gastric AGS cancer cells. Its treatment resulted in apoptosis and G2-arrest in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Immunomodulatory effect of Astragali Radix extract on murine TH1/TH2 cell lineage development.

Astragali Radix (AR), is a popular herbal medicine used to treat allergic diseases in Korea, Japan and China. Our study examined the effect of an AR ethanol extract on both in vitro and in vivo murine CD4 T cells' differentiation into Th1 and Th2 subsets. CD4 T cells from Balb/c mice were activated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 mAb in the presence of AR for 2 d.

Induction of apoptosis by Saussurea lappa and Pharbitis nil on AGS gastric cancer cells.

We performed this study to understand the molecular basis underlying the antitumor effects of Saussurea lappa, Pharbitis nil, Plantago asiatica and Taraxacum mongolicum, which have been used for herbal medicinal treatments against cancers in East Asia. We analyzed the effects of these medicinal herbs on proliferation and on expression of cell growth/apoptosis related molecules, with using an AGS gastric cancer cell line. The treatments of Saussurea lappa and Pharbitis nil dramatically reduced cell viabilities in a dose and time-dependent manner, but Plantago asiatica and Taraxacum mongolicum didn't.

Effects of moxibustion to zusanli (ST36) on alteration of natural killer cell activity in rats.

Moxibustion is one of the major healing techniques in Oriental medicine. It has been widely used in many diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto disease, breech presentation, etc. However, till now, effects of moxibustion on natural killer (NK) cell activity and relations between sympathetic nerve system (SNS) and the immune alteration induced by moxibustion were not well studied.